President Jacob Zuma will have to make representations to public prosecutions head Shaun Abrahams today to argue why he should not face 783 counts of fraud, racketeering and money laundering.

In December 2017, Abrahams granted Zuma an extension to make representations after the president’s legal team made the request. Zuma’s lawyers asked that he be given until February 19 2018 to state his case, but Abrahams instead made the deadline January 31.

This came after Zuma missed his initial deadline on November 31, following the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that the decision to drop charges against him by the then NPA head Mokotedi Mpshe in 2009 was irrational.

On April 6 2009, Mpshe made an allegation that telephone recordings of a conversation between Scorpions head Leonard McCarthy and former NPA boss Bulelani Ngcuka revealed that there had been political interference in the decision to charge Zuma.

Since then, what became known as the spy tapes saga has followed Zuma for almost 10 years.

Abrahams said that he granted Zuma an extension to make representations last year because it was “in the interests of justice to do so”.

The preisdency has yet to confirm on if Zuma will abide by today’s deadline.